Structures of Female Desire, Control and Withdrawal in Lynch’s Cinematic Work

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The pairing of mental illness as a weakness and the strength of a classical femme fatale might seem conflicting at first. Mental issues or weakness might be rather associated with the character of the femme fragile. David Lynch turns this concept on its head: he associates his female characters with strength and weakness at the same time. The weakness often derives from mental problems and therefore almost substantiates the strength that comes with it because these women endure so much suffering. Nevertheless, this combination leads to gendered character developments, which this chapter explores by analysing sequences and stylistic devices in the films Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive. Moreover, this chapter discusses how female sexuality functions as a projection of the spectator’s own desire, wishes and needs. Female desire in this context often symbolises failure of normative structures, such as the nuclear family, patriarchal structures like monogamous marriage or masculinity as supremacy in family and career, and other normative values and standards. Making use of gender theory and psychoanalytic approaches, this chapter argues that Lynch creates a universe in which well-known narrative structures fall apart and where the ideals of patriarchal society face constant re-evaluation.